중앙데일리

[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]Treatment of women deplorable

Jan 13,2003

I am near the end of my year's stay in South Korea. There have been many things that have impressed me. I have met many friendly people. I was fortunate to be here for the World Cup and the surge in national pride. But a big problem I have frequently come across here is the appalling treatment of many women by men.

Last week my girlfriend, who owns a dog, had two run-ins with Korean men. The first occurred on a subway. She was standing on the train when a man started screaming at her and pointing at her dog. This has happened to her many times. Two days later she was going up an escalator and a Korean man turned and kicked her dog and attacked her verbally. No one came to her rescue.

Why is this behavior so commonplace among Korean men and why doesn't anyone help the victims of this outrageous behavior?